Nov. 1, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: November 1, 2009 - Sophomore Vince McNally (Smoketown, Pa.) placed 11th overall, earning second team all-conference honors, Sunday at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships at the Blue/White Golf Course. The Nittany Lions finished ninth in the team standings.
McNally claimed his first-career All-Big Ten certificate, finishing the 5.2 mile course in 25:37.
Next up for the Lions was sophomore Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), who placed 45th overall with a finishing time of 26:43. Competing in his first Big Ten Championship, freshman Danny Pawola (Naperville, Ill.) ran third for Penn State, placing 60th in 27:08.
Junior Lucas Zarzeczny (Pittsburgh, Pa.) was the next Lion across the finish line, turning in a 62nd-place effort in 27:09. Junior Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio) ran as the Lions' fifth and final scorer, running 27:30 for 70th place.
Junior Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia) and sophomore Chris Cipro (Harmony, Pa.) were the Lions' sixth and seventh runners, taking 78th and 81st, respectively.
Wisconsin won the men's title for the 11th-consecutive year, running away from the field with 26 points, thanks to a top 10 finishes from its entire top five. Ohio State took second in the team standings with 91 points, followed by Minnesota in third with 97, Indiana in fourth with 106, and Michigan rounding out the top five with 117. The Nittany Lions scored 232 for ninth.
Following a weekend off, the Nittany Lions will make the trip to Princess Anne, Md., for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships at Maryland-Eastern Shore on Nov. 14.